Distinctly Montana Magazine

d i s t i n c t ly m o n ta n a • s p r i n g 2 0 1 4 14 part of the Lewis and Clark National Forest. These nearly 400,000 acres of roadless fed- eral land on the Rocky Mountain Front are an integral part of Montana's largest expanse of unroaded terrain: the 2.5-million-acre Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex, which itself is part of an even larger, mostly intact ecosystem extending well into Canada. However, as impressive as these mountains are, much of the country's mystique comes from the direction of the rising sun. Immedi- ately east of the great gray ramparts, a virtu- ally undeveloped expanse of foothills and prairie unfold in a mix of private, state, and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) owner- ship. This is classic front of the Front country, separated from the main upthrust of the Rocky Mountains. As a result, Montana's share of the Rocky Mountain Front is the last and largest unspoiled meeting of peaks and plains between Canada and Mexico. This country east of the Continental Divide is drier, colder, and windier than its west-side counterpart approximately eighty miles to the west. Of course, dryness is relative. The Badger–Two Medicine is comparatively moist, with the Front becoming progressively drier to the south. The lushness of the Badger may be due to the descent of the Continen- tal Divide barrier, which reaches its lowest point in Montana at 5,215-foot Marias Pass. Prevailing storms from the west funnel into Casey Perkins, rMf Campaign Director for the Montana wilderness association writes: The Rocky Mountain Front Heritage Act, sponsored by Senators Max Bau- cus and Jon Tester, proposes to keep the Front the way it is today. it com- bines new Wilderness additions to the Bob Marshall, a conservation manage- ment area to protect the current va- riety of uses outside the Wilderness, and a directive to federal agencies to prioritize noxious weed management. Most Montanans (over 70%) support this homegrown solution to keep this vibrant part of the economy and the landscape intact now and for future generations. Recently, the Heritage Act received unanimous, bipartisan support from the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. it now awaits action by the full Senate and the House of Representatives. Max Baucus delivers pitch for RMF heritage act www.distinctlymontana.com/rmf142 DISTINCTLY MONTANA | DIGITAL BiLL CUNNiNGHAM BiLL CUNNiNGHAM

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